Plaiting-machine



'UNira STATES Armar trice.

PLAITING-MACHINEl SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,754, dated December 2.3, 1884.

Application filed April1,`1884. (No model.)

.To all w/wm/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABEL WV. WELLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hagerstown, in the county of Washington and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plaiting Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure lis a top or plan view of my improved plaiting-machine. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, showing it open ready for the insertion of the fabric to be plaited. Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section through line x a' in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through line y y in Fig: 1, and Fig. is a detail view of the plaiting-knife with its blade detached from the handle.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to plaiting-machines; and it consists in the detailed construction and combination of parts of a machine of that class, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, the object of my invention being to produce a plaiting-machine which can be sold at a small cost, and which can be readily manipulated by any person of ordinary intelligence.

In the accompanying drawings, A is a flat board of suitable size, and, by preference, of rectangular shape, the top of which is covered with several layers of cloth or other soft material, so as to form a flat cushion, B, upon which the fabric or material to be plaited is placed. Hinged to one side of this base or bed-piece by hinges C C is a frame consisting of parallel side pieces, D D, of sheet metal or other suitable material, the free ends of which are connected by a bar, E, fastened at opposite ends to t-he right-angle elbows F of the arms D.

Attached movably to the arms D, at opposite ends of the same, are the scales or measures G, which may be made conveniently from pieces of tape-measure looped at opposite ends, as shown at H, with the arms D D inserted through the loops.

Between the two scales G G are arranged parallel strips of narrow bands or tape I I, the ends of which are similarly looped, as shown at J, for the insertion of the arms D. The outer ends of the arms D have slots d, adapted-to receive and interlock with screweyes D', fastened in the appropriate corners of the base A, so that by turning these screw-eyes at right angles to the slots d the hinged frame may be locked or fastened upon the base.

The plaiting-knife consists of two thin pieces of any suitable material, K and L, one of which is a little longer than the other, both being pointed at their outer ends, as shown in Fig. 5. The inner ends of the strips Kand L are soldered together to form a shank, M', adapted to be inserted into the handle N, which is prevented from splitting by a ferrule, O.

The operation of this machine is as follows: The material to be plaited is placed fiat upon the cushioned base A B, after which the hinged frame D E is folded down upon it, and locked iu place'by means of the keys or screweyes D'. Theplaiting-knife is then inserted in such a manner that the longer blade, L, will pass under the fabric to be plaited, while the shorter blade, K, passes over it, but underneath the scales G and tapes I. By now turning or reversing the knife a plait is formed, the knife being, however, first drawn toward one end of the fabric, where the plaiting is to commence, and placed either parallel with arms D or at an angle thereto, according to the kind of plaiting to be made. By means of the scales Gr G the plaits may be made of exactly even width and equidistant from one another, and by making the plaits alternately at different angles, crossing one another alternately, a plaited fabric of the pattern indicated at P in Fig. 1 is the result.V Besides this pattern a variety of other patterns may be made on the machine, which will readily suggest themselves by a little practice and experience in handling the plaiting-knife.

Having thus desoribedmyinvention, Ielaim I In testimony that I Claim the foregoing as Io and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the my own I have hereunto affixed my signature United Statesin presence of two Witnesses.

The combination of the cushioned base AB, 5 having sorew-eyes D', with the hinged frame ABEL ,V. TELLER consisting of the arms D, 11a-ving slots l at their ends, and having elbows F, the connect- Vitnesses: iug-piece E7 and the tapes G and I, as and for LOUIS BAGGER, the purpose shown and set forth. AUGUST PETERSON. 

